


Questions about Dandelion

by xStephyG



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dom/sub, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Headaches & Migraines, Hurt/Comfort, Oral Sex, Post-Trespaser, Public Display of Affection, Rough Sex, Sex Magic, Smut, Spanking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2017-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-10 07:43:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 15,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5577112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xStephyG/pseuds/xStephyG
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short and long ficlets used to answer OTP questions from Tumblr</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who spends almost all their money on the other?

Evie smiled brightly as she gazed down at the little golem statuette in her hands. It was perfect. Cullen had told her all the about the statue in Honneleth from his childhood and when she saw this in the shop window she couldn’t resist.

“You spent all your coin on _that_?” Dorian blanched.

“It’s adorable.” Evie gushed, running her thumb lovingly over the polished stone. “And it’s for Cullen…” She added with a blush as she tucked the little statuette in her empty coin purse. She was sure he was going to love it.


	2. Who sleeps in the other’s lap?

Cullen kept an arm wrapped securely around Evie’s waist as he worked. Her even breaths rustled the fur of his mantle with her every exhale, tickling his neck and making him shiver every few seconds.

She had dragged her weary body into his office only ten minutes prior, wanting to crawl into bed with him. However, he still had a great deal of work to do so instead of collapsing into bed, she had settled in his lap and fell asleep in moments.

“Ser, I have the-” The messenger halted his words when he took in the sight of the Inquisitor curled up in the Commander’s lap.

“Just put them there.” Cullen whispered, gesturing to the already oversized stack of missives on his desk.

Once the messenger had given Cullen the reports and left, Cullen chanced a quick glance down at Evie. He would never tire of having her curled up in his lap while he worked. Her presence made everything easier for him.


	3. Who walks around the house half-naked and who yells at them to put on some clothes?

“Maker’s breath, Evie! What are you doing!?” Cullen gasped as he stared at his wife. She had walked out of the bedroom in nothing but his oversized tunic, a sight he would normally welcome but not when he brother was visiting.

“I heard Bran’s voice, I wanted to say hi.” Evie laughed as she rushed to her brother-in-law and threw her arm around his neck. She pulled Bran down into a tight hug, shrieking with laughter as he threw his arms around her waist and lifted her from the floor for a moment before placing her back down.

“Andraste preserve me… Evie, please go get dressed.” Cullen sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“You’re lucky I love you because you can be no fun sometimes.” Evie teased as she slipped from Bran’s embrace. She stuck her tongue out at Cullen playfully before turning on her heels.

As the brothers watched Evie skip back to the bedroom to find some trousers, Bran leaned over to Cullen, “I have go agree, Cul. You’re really no fun sometimes.”

Cullen groaned, giving his younger brother a light shove. He was plenty fun, but only when it was appropriate.


	4. Which one tells the other not to stay up all night and which one stays up all night anyway

“Cullen, come to bed.” Evie called down from her perch in his loft.

Cullen glanced up to see her face peering down at him. She looked as exhausted as he felt. “Go back to bed, love. I’ll be up soon. I promise. I just have a few more reports to finish.” He replied, smiling wearily up at her.

“Don’t be too long. It’s cold up here without you.” She admitted sheepishly, her cheeks reddening enough for him to see even from the distance between them. She flashed him one last quick smile before disappearing again when he gestured for her to go.

Once Evie had gone back to bed, Cullen returned his attention to the work in front of him. It was going to be a long night.


	5. Which one tries to make food for the other but burns it all by accident and which one tells them that it’s okay and makes them both cookies?

“Cullen! What’s burning!?” Evie called, her voice pitched with panic as she rushed toward the kitchen.

Cullen threw open the oven door, jumping back as the flames from his failed foray into baking burst forth. “Maker, have mercy.” He murmured while grabbing a pitcher of water. He splashed the contents into the oven and doused the fire before he burned the entire house down.

“It’s- it’s nothing, love.” Cullen replied once the fire was out. He truly hoped she believed him and wouldn’t come to investigate.

Evie arrived in the doorway of the kitchen, a bewildered look on her face as she took in the scene before her. “Cullen! What in the name of Andraste have you done to my kitchen!?” She nearly shrieked as she stared at the mess he had made.

Cullen stood awkwardly by the water-logged oven, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand while still clutching the empty pitcher in the other. “I, uh, well you see…” He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so embarrassed in front of his wife. “I wanted to bake you a cake and well, as you can see, it didn’t go exactly as planned…”

Evie’s aghast expression quickly melted away then. A brilliant smile lit her face as she walked toward her husband. Once she was standing directly in front of him, she reached up and cupped his cheek and directed his face down to meet her eye. “At least you didn’t burn the house down.” She teased.

Cullen heaved a defeated sigh as he dropped his head onto her shoulder. His arms encircled her waist while he buried his face into her neck, hiding from her and the embarrassment he felt.

“How about I make us some cookies instead?” Evie offered, combing her fingers through her downtrodden husband’s hair. Her smiled brightened even more as Cullen nodded against her neck. “You can even help… Just not anywhere near my oven.”


	6. Which one reads OTP prompts and says “Oh that’s us!” and which one goes “Eh, not really”?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern!AU

Evie giggled excitedly as she read the short paragraph displayed on her phone’s screen. It was perfect. It sounded just like them. She squealed in delight, rereading it over and over. It was so adorable.

“What are you doing?” Cullen laughed, finally looking up from the newspaper he had been reading. He peered over at Evie curled up with his feet in her lap and her nose pressed to her phone. She lifted her head, smiling brightly as she met his amused gaze.

“Read this.” Evie ordered while thrusting her phone toward Cullen. When he took the device from her hands, she slid his feet from her lap and crawled up his body. She crept along the length of his body until she was tucked between the back of the couch and his solid frame. “It’s us.” She gushed once she was settled.

Cullen finally turned his attention to Evie’s phone, having been distracted by her shimmying up his body the way she was. He read the three sentences once, twice, three times before finally giving up.

“If you say so, love.” He laughed before tossing Evie’s phone gently onto the coffee table and wrapping his arms around her. He kissed the top her head gently as they settled in to take a peaceful afternoon nap together. As his eyes drifted shut, a single question echoed in his mind. What had he just read?


	7. Which one constantly wears the other’s clothes?

Cullen sighed as he stood at the end of Evie’s bed. He had found every piece of his attire save for one item: his prized surcoat. He had searched her entire room and it was no where to be seen. He had hoped she hadn’t done it again, but he knew exactly where he would find his precious surcoat: on her body.

With a huff, Cullen turned to the stairs and headed out of her room. He descended the stone steps slowly, dreading having to go search for her and dreading even more where he might find her.

Last time she made off with his fur, he found her ‘overseeing’ the troops practice while doing her best impression of him. Her best impression seemed to be shouting orders in the deepest voice she could muster before breaking out in a fit of giggles. The troops had enjoyed the show, but he had to endure a great deal of ribbing from them for days afterwards, much to his horror. At least she was keeping moral high.


	8. Which one spends all day running errands and which one says “You remembered [thing], right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern!AU

Cullen placed the last of the bags on the foyer floor, happy to finally be home. He had spent the better part of the day running all over town to various stores, searching for everything on Evie’s list. He heaved a weary sigh as he looked over the heavy bags. He was pleased with himself for finding everything but now he had to put it all away.

Just as he was beginning to gather the first load so he could start hauling everything out to the greenhouse, the front door behind him opened. Evie strode through the open door, an excited smile lighting her face when she saw the assorted bundles lining the floor.

“You got everything?” She asked excitedly as she placed her keys on the side table.

“Every single thing. As promised.” Cullen beamed, watching her dive into one of the bags.

Evie looked up at Cullen from her place kneeling on the floor, a hopeful expression on her face. “You remembered the hibiscus syriacus seeds, right?”

“Of course. I could never forget.” His assurance earned him an excited squeal from the botanist he had fallen so completely in love with.


	9. Which one drives the car and which one gives them directions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern!AU

“Take the next exit.” Evie directed Cullen while keeping her eyes trained on the map in her hands.

Cullen glanced away from the road to Evie sitting in the passenger seat beside him. She had, for some unknown reason, unfolded the entirety of the map and was now buried in it. He watched her flatten the section she was looking at, praying that it was actually where there were located.

“Are you sure? You’ve gotten us lost before.” He quirked his brow, smirking when Evie’s own brows furrowed into a soft scowl.

“Once.” Evie pouted. “It happened one time.”

Cullen shook his head while returning his attention to the road. The cab of the truck was returned to silence as they drove down the long stretch of highway.

As Cullen took the exit he was instructed to take, he peeked over at Evie once more. “Three times.” He remarked with a cheeky grin. “You’ve gotten us lost three times, but who’s keeping count?”


	10. Which one does the posing while the other one draws?

Evie cocked her head as she stared at the parchment in front of her. It was starting to come together… she thinks. Her hands were stained black from the charcoal she held and when she reached up brush her hair from her forehead, she left a streak of black across her porcelain skin. A warm chuckle had her lifting her head to meet Cullen’s gaze as he watched her from his place on the sofa.

“You have charcoal all over your face now.” He laughed before starting to stand. He stopped in his tracks when Evie tutted him, gesturing for him to stay seated. With a resigned sigh, he settled back into the cushions of the sofa and watched Evie try to scrub the black from her forehead but only succeeded in adding more.

A short silence past between the couple while Evie made vague hand gestures, directing Cullen into his pose. “I thought you said you couldn’t draw.” Cullen mused after a moment, straightening his back and lifting his chin to return himself to the pose he had been holding before.

“I can’t.” Evie replied casually while turning her focus on the parchment.

Cullen sighed, shaking his head in amusement as he watched Evie’s tongue peek out from between her lips. Evie continued her work, her charcoal stained brow furrowing in concentration while her hand moved across the parchment.

The silence returned and dragged on between the couple for a long while before Cullen broke it, unable to hold in the curiosity he had been trying to hide any longer. “If you can’t draw, than why are you trying to draw _me_?”

Evie’s hand stilled, her grip tightening around the charcoal. She lifted her gaze to Cullen, emerald eyes meeting his for a quick second before they began a journey over his body.

She drank in the sight of his bare chest, her eyelids growing heavy as she traced the definition of his muscles. She let her eyes move lower on his body, following the dusting of hair along his stomach until her gaze finally landed on his low hanging trousers. She examined his perfect body carefully, her breathing growing heavy with each pass her eyes made as she squirmed in her seat. Maker have mercy on her; Cullen was perfection and she wanted to capture that perfection for herself.

“Practise.” She breathed, a flush burning her cheeks as she met Cullen’s knowing gaze.

He smirked over at her, the right side of his lips lifting to stretch his scar and cause Evie’s breath hitch in her throat. He kept his eyes locked on her as he lifted his hand to smooth is down his chest slowly, watching her eyes follow its journey. When his fingertips dipped below the waist of his trousers to tease his swelling tip, Evie’s mouth dropped open and her fervent panting increased.

“Keep drawing.” He ordered gruffly.

Evie’s eyes snapped to Cullen’s face. His eyes held a determination that told her there would be no arguing with him on this. She would have to sit there and watch him pleasure himself while she attempted to draw him.

Maker, what has she gotten herself into?


	11. Which one screams about the spider and which one brings the spider outside?

The blood curdling shriek that echoed throughout the entire house had Cullen and Recruit running as fast as they could to get to Evie. When the man and his mabari arrived in the bedroom, they found Evie standing atop her vanity chair. She held one of Cullen’s boots in her hand as her panicked eyes scanned the floor below her.

“What!? What’s wrong!?” Cullen rushed to her, ready to protect his wife from whatever it was that was threatening her.

However, before he reached her side, Recruit began barking at something behind him. Cullen whipped around, ready to attack but found nothing. He moved to Recruit’s side, a puzzled expression on his face while looking to the object of the mabari’s ire. Sitting in the middle of the floor, barely visible to the naked eye was a small brown spider.

Cullen glanced over his shoulder to find his wife staring at the same spider, a look of abject horror etched across her face. “The spider?” Cullen asked incredulously while gesturing toward the little thing.

“Get it out of my house, Cullen!” Evie wailed while giving him a gentle nudge toward the teeny beast.

“I could just kill it.”

“No! It didn’t do anything to you.” Evie argued.

Cullen gaped at her, disbelieving what he was hearing. She had jumped onto a chair, screamed, and threatened the little menace with a boot but she didn’t want him to kill it.

“Just take it outside. Please.” She pleaded, her eyes wide and her bottom lip trembling.

With a resigned sigh, Cullen nodded; he didn’t understand but he would do it. He plucked his boot from Evie’s hand before making his way over to the spider. After some careful maneuverings he managed to get the thing into his boot. With Recruit trailing behind him, Cullen made it way out into the garden to deposit their unwelcome house guest.

Once the spider was free, he turned to his faithful mabari and shook his head. “I can’t imagine how she dealt with the larger ones.”


	12. How good would your OTP be at parenting?

Cullen stood over the bassinet, watching his son carefully. The infant had slept through the night. Something must be wrong. Liam hadn’t slept through the night once since he was born. He woke every few hours to be fed or changed or simply be held. To have him sleep through the entire night without a single disturbance had to mean he was ill.

_What if he never wakes up again?_

Fear seized Cullen’s entire being at the very thought. He couldn’t lose his son. He would not allow it. He reached into the bassinet to rouse the infant, his eyes focused on the steady rise and fall of Liam’s little chest. However, just as his finger tips brushed the little boys cheek an arm snaked around him from behind.

“You’ll wake him.” Evie caressed Cullen’s chest lovingly as she pressed her body to his. “Let him sleep.” She murmured.

Cullen retracted his hand and brought it to his chest, catching Evie’s. He intertwined their fingers and gave her small hand a squeeze, trying to anchor himself. “He’s-he’s been sleeping all night… what if…” He trailed over, his voice trembling just enough for Evie hear.

“He’s fine, Cullen.” She promised, running her thumb across the back of his hand to soothe him.

“Are you sure? How do you know?” Cullen twisted in Evie’s embrace as he spoke. She smiled patiently up at him as he cupped her cheek with his free hand.

“A mother knows.” She assured him before turning her face into his hand and planting a soft kiss into his palm.

Cullen glanced over his shoulder to his son sleeping peacefully behind him. He watched the rise and fall of his chest, the serene expression on his tiny face, his little hands balled into fists and resting by his mop of blonde curls: his perfect son. An adoring smile softened the worried expression Cullen had been holding as he turned back to his wife. She smiled up at him, a look of loving confidence etched across her delicate features: the grace of a natural mother. He nodded his understanding and the pair left their son to sleep.

Cullen was still absolutely terrified that something was amiss but if Evie believed everything was okay, than he would trust her. Her confidence as a mother gave him confidence as a father.


	13. Who makes the bad puns and who makes a pained smile every time the other makes a pun?

Cullen sat quietly in Skyhold’s garden, watching Evie as she tended to the flora. He was supposed to be overseeing the troops sparring with one of his lieutenants but the moment his headache started he excused himself. He had yet to find anything that could eliminate the pounding behind his eyes completely, but watching Evie work so tirelessly to ensure every herb and bloom stayed strong and healthy soothed the ache like almost nothing else.

He repositioned himself in his seat, crossing and uncrossing his legs several times as images of the one thing that alleviated his aching head the most:

_Evie sinks to her knees before him, soft hands sliding up his thighs while she presses her lips to the front of his trousers. Careful kisses dance over his hardening length for a moment before her lips disappeared, making him groan from the loss._

“ _Patience, love. I’ll make the hurt go away.”_

_Skilled fingers make quick work of his laces and his trousers and smalls are pooled at his boots before he knows it. Her fingers wrap around his rigid length, squeezing his shaft gently. He glances down when a pair of lips press into his abdomen. Her emerald eyes sparkle when he meets them while her tongue flicks out, lapping at his heated skin. Her sweet mouth moves lower and lower, leaving a wet trail behind. His breathing picks up as her hand continues to rub along his length, her thumb teasing his tip while her fingers trace his shaft._

_Her mouth reaches his cock, her tongue flicking out one final time to just barely touch his aching length at the base. He groans softly when she pulls away and lifts his hands to tangle in her scarlet hair, urging her forward, silently begging her to continue. She keeps her eyes locked with his as she closes the distance between her sweet mouth and his aching cock. The pounding behind his eyes is all but forgotten as she opens her mouth, her tongue tracing her pouty lips as she nears. Any second her perfect pout will be sealed around his cock and he’ll have forgotten why exactly he had needed her in the first place, other than the fact that he_ _**needed** _ _her._

_He can feel her ragged breaths on his sensitive tip now. So close. Just a few more millimeters and-_

“Cullen?” The fantasy shattered as Evie spoke and Cullen is returned to reality. The pounding in his head returned anew as he looked up to meet her worried gaze. “Are you alright?”

He forced a reassuring smile onto his lips, giving her a slight nod. “Just a small headache. I’ll be fine.”

A slight frown formed on Evie’s lips, clearly not believing him when he said he would be fine. She hated to see him in pain and would do anything to take that hurt away.

Taking a seat beside him, she wrapped her arm around his head and urged him to lay it down on her shoulder. Once his temple was resting on the point of her shoulder, she began gently combing her fingers through his hair. Cullen hummed contentedly, revelling in the gentle touch and loving attention.

After a few moments silence, a secretive little grin blossomed over Evie’s lips. “Cullen, do you know what’s best when it comes to kissing flowers?”

Cullen’s brow furrowed at Evie’s unusual question. What did this have to do with anything? He lifted his head to meet her gaze, his confused eyes meeting her mischievous ones. “No…” He answered carefully, trying to suss out what exactly she was up to.

His whole body stiffened uneasily when Evie pressed herself to his side. She laid a gentle hand on his chest as she pressed her lips to his ear. In a hot, breathy voice she spoke, “Tulips.”

Cullen groaned quietly, his mind not registering what she had said only the lascivious cadence of her voice. His eyes fell shut as he turned his head to try to capture her lips in a searing kiss. However, before he could catch her, Evie broke out into a fit of giggles. His eyes reopened his eyes and stared at her, an almost pained expression on his face.

Evie’s giggles died down just long enough for her to point to a patch of flowers growing nearby. “Tulips!” She exclaimed, pointing to her lips then back to the bright yellow flowers. “Get it?”

Cullen’s eyes closed as Evie fell into his side, giggling endlessly while he groaned. Despite his headache and Evie’s terrible joke, he couldn’t help but smile; she was a horrible tease and absolutely adorable.

Without warning, Evie jumped up from her spot beside him and turned back to Cullen. She took his hand and coaxed him to stand before leading him toward the door back into the main hall.

“Where are we going?” Cullen questioned, his pounding head protesting the movement.

Evie glanced over her shoulder and flashed him an innocent smile. “You have a headache.” She pointed out. “And I have two lips that can help.”


	14. Who comes home from work to see that the other one bought a puppy?

As Evie walked up the path leading to the front door of her and Cullen’s home, the sound of laughter brought a smile to her lips. She steered off the path and headed to the back yard to greet her husband and three children playing there. A loud bark filled the air followed by the delighted squeals from the children, brightening Evie’s smile even more. When she reached the back gate another smaller yap met her ears and Evie’s brow quirked in confusion. They only had one mabari and Recruit is well past the age of making such sounds.

_He didn’t…_

Evie walked through the gate and rounded the house to find her suspicion confirmed. Sitting in the grass sat Cullen and their three children while a small brown mabari pup rolled around in front of them. Evie continued toward her family, watching as Teagan and Lizzie showered the pup with belly rubs and kisses while Liam sat patting Recruit on the back, looking as though he was consoling the older mabari.

“It’s okay, boy. They still love you too.” Evie heard her son tell the family’s first pet as she reached them.

“I see we have a new friend.” Evie drawled casually, announcing her presence.

“Isn’t he so cute, mommy!?” Lizzie squealed in delight.

“Daddy, brought us to see the puppies at the Bann’s and this one picked us!” Teagan explained excitedly.

Cullen looked to his wife, a sheepish expression on his face. They had talked about getting another mabari but she had been under the impression they were going to wait until the children were old enough to care for it on their own. Now it seemed they had a five year old, two four year old’s, and two mabari to take care of.

Cullen stood from his spot quickly. He approached Evie with measured steps, unsure how she was going to react to his little surprise. When she didn’t shun him, he took her hand in his and began the long explanation he had been planning since the moment he had agreed to take the pup home.

“I know we said we would wait, but I was reading the kids ‘The Littlest Mabari’ earlier and they didn’t believe that mabari were ever little since they’ve only ever seen Recruit and he’s not little. Since the Bann has the kennels, I thought I’d show them the pups to prove to them that mabaris would be little and I figured they would have fun. Oh, and they loved it! You should have seen their faces, love. Lizzie nearly got knocked over by one because it was so excited that she was petting it, and Teagan started chasing one around, trying to play with its floppy ears, and Liam was gathering them all up. He had four in his arms and declared we were going home with them, then ordered the girls to get the rest. It was just-” Cullen stopped when he saw the grin on Evie’s face. She was watching the children play with the little pup, her smile growing brighter by the second.

“Does he have a name?” Evie asked, tearing her eyes away from her delighted children to her husband.

Cullen let out the breath he hadn’t realised he was holding as their eyes met. A relieved smile spread over his lips as he shook his head. “Not yet. Since I left you out of the decision to get him, I thought it would be best to not leave you out of naming him.”

“Good idea.” Evie laughed as she freed her hand from Cullen’s grip and wrapped it around his waist. They couple held each other close as they turned to watch their children and Recruit play with the family’s new pet.


	15. If your OTP went on vacation, where would they go and what would they do?

Cullen gazed out over the water as his mind wondered. Several scenes flashed behind his eyes, pulling him away from the present. A little boy with unruly blonde curls sitting on a small dock far from home in a bid to have some peace and quiet from his rambunctious siblings. A young man with a blazing sword of mercy on his chest boarding a small row boat that would bring him to the tower looming in the distance. A man filled with rage and bitterness shoving a mage into a boat to be brought to a cage without a second thought. Fires burning and people screaming as that same man stepped onto a boat behind the woman he called 'Commander’, questioning the choices she had made and the thing he had done at her bidding. Finally, a man being crushed under the weight of his past entering a ship to be carried across the Waking Sea to a life where he could atone for his mistakes.

Cullen’s history with bodies of water was sorted to say the least. There were many good memories but just as many bad. He watched the setting sun turn the water before him a golden hue, already knowing that this would be one of his favourites.

“It’s beautiful here, isn’t it?” Cullen peered down at the mage tucked into his side. He watched her emerald eyes sparkle in the dimming sunlight, her scarlet hair fluttering in the light breeze, the smile on her full lips brightening his world more than any ray of sunlight ever could.

“Breathtaking.” He murmured while still staring at Evie.

She glanced up then, blushing the faintest amount upon seeing his awestruck expression as he gazed at her. She returned her focus to the water, watching the waves crash along the sides of the passing merchant ships while Cullen continued to gaze lovingly down at her.

After a few more moments of silence, Evie looked back up at him with a wide grin. “Come on.” She laughed, nudging Cullen in the side with her shoulder. “When I told Josie we would be coming here today she made me promise to feed the gulls for her.”

Cullen gave a small chuckle as he turned in the direction Evie was steering him toward. They kept their arms wrapped tightly around each other while walking along the Rialto Bay in search of some bread to throw to the gulls.


	16. What is the quickest Evie's ever been brought to orgasm?

Cullen grabbed Evie by her hips and pushed her forcefully down onto the bed. Climbing onto the mattress quickly, he pressed his entire body heavily into her smaller frame. He gripped both of her dainty wrists in his large hand, pinning them to the sheets above her head. Evie struggled in Cullen’s grip for moment, testing her figurative chains, but a hard smack to her bare bottom halted her squirming.

The lips that been wrapped around her nipple the whole time stopped their suckling and released the aching bud. “Do you want me to stop?” Cullen growled while peering up at Evie with a demanding fire burning in his eyes. When Evie shook her head fervently, her darkened eyes widening in worry, a wicked smirk spread over his lips. “Good because I wasn’t going to.”

Her eyes rolled back into her head while her wanton whines filled the air. She was lost in ecstasy already. Cullen’s hips slammed into hers hard enough to slide her along the mattress, but his tight grip on her wrists didn’t let her get far. His free hand supported his weight beside her hip, lifting to give her a hard slap on her reddening bottom every time she squirmed just a little. His mouth attacked her heaving chest with almost painful bites to her swollen nipples, only to soothe the ache a second later with a roll of his tongue. It was perfect.  _He_  was perfect; giving her exactly what she needed while taking the same for himself.

Faster than she thought possible, Evie’s entire body quaked as her first orgasm washed over her. She writhed under Cullen’s scorching body, causing him to ‘punish’ her with yet another slap to her bottom. She rolled her hips into his stinging hand, silently begging him for more. With every hard smack of Cullen’s hand and forceful thrust of his hips, a new burst of electricity shot out from Evie’s core to bath her entire being in pure bliss. She could no longer tell where one orgasm ended and another began; her mind and body had been taken completely by the euphoric state Cullen had brought her to.

There wasn’t a single feeling in all of Thedas that could rival Cullen racing her to her blissful end before she could even finish kicking off her boots.

 


	17. Who sings along with the radio?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Modern!AU

As the song started to play from the truck’s speakers, Cullen tensed. This was one of his favourites but maybe Evie didn’t like this type of music. He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye to find her staring out the windshield impassively. Cullen listened to the two voices singing and began thinking of changing the station, or turning it off entirely; she’d probably rather listen to something from this decade. His hand twitched on the steering wheel, ready to reach for the radio when a third, much quieter voice joined the two coming from the speakers.

“ _I can see it in your eyes that you despise the same old lies you heard the night before. And though it’s just a line to you, for me it’s true and never seemed so right before.”_

Cullen turned his head to look directly at Evie then. She wore a shy smile on her soft lips and a pink flush on her cheeks as she sang along in a hushed voice. When she noticed him looking – more like gaping – at her, she immediately stopped. He watched her pull her bottom lip between her teeth as she turned her attention to her hands fidgeting in her lap.

A wide grin spread over Cullen’s lips and his eyes sparkled in delight. He returned his focus to the road ahead once more, rejoicing in the knowledge that Evie seemed to share the same taste in music as him.

As the next few lines played, Evie remained silent which Cullen found disappointing. She had a beautiful voice and he wanted to hear it again. Before he could second guess himself, Cullen began singing along with the next line, his voice hushed but loud enough for Evie to hopefully hear.

“ _But then I think I’ll wait until the evening gets late and I’m alone with you.”_

Cullen glanced over at Evie, his voice stuttering the barest amount as she looked up at him and giggled. His ears burned in embarrassment, deciding he should stop before he makes a bigger fool out of himself. That was when Evie joined him in a proper duet.

“ _The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red and, oh, the night’s so blue.”_

They gazed adoring into each others’ eyes as they sang, both of them grinning from ear to ear. However, when it was time for the next line they both looked away quickly. Both of their faces turned an even deeper shade of red as they sang.

“ _And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like,”_

Cullen glanced back to Evie one last time before they sang the next three words. His heart ached in his chest, dreaming of the moment he would say the words to her properly and hear her say them in return.

“ _I love you.”_


	18. Who talks smack while playing chess games?

“Are you sure that’s the move you wish to make, love?” Evie asked. Her voice was pitched with slight concern as she watched Cullen move his knight across the board.

“What? Why?” Cullen lifted his head to regard Evie, finding a worried expression marring her delicate features. “What’s wrong with it?” He inquired while glancing back to the board. It was perfectly respectable move.

“Oh! Nothing at all.” Evie replied quickly, her brows lifting as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn’t. “It’s a perfectly fine move. Please, continue.” She finished with a delighted smile.

Cullen grumbled something incoherent under his breath as he took his hand from the chess piece, finalizing his move. He leaned back in his seat, studying Evie and the almost smug expression she held. She was staring at the board between them, her eyes sparkling with excitement. He had a very bad feeling about how this game was going to end.

The game continued on, Cullen was winning but Evie was questioning almost every move he made. He was trying his best to not let her doubting get to him but he was starting to second guess his strategy. Did she know something he didn’t?

As if out of nowhere, Evie made her final move and captured his king. Cullen gawked at the board, completely dumbstruck. He had been winning! How could she have possibly done that? They were equal in skill of the game last they played. What had changed so abruptly?

“How did- I was- You-” Cullen sputtered helplessly, bringing a delighted giggle to Evie’s lips. “How did you do that!?” Cullen demanded while lifting his frazzled eyes to Evie’s.

Evie shrugged her shoulder, a smug grin on her lips. Rising from her seat, Evie sauntered around the small table in the gazebo to deposit herself in Cullen’s lap. “Call it luck.” She declared after she had draped her arms around his neck.

Cullen took hold of her hips and leaned back from her just enough to see her face. He studied her innocent expression for a moment before shaking his head incredulously. “You cheated, didn’t you?” He accused with a playful smile while squinting his eyes at her suspiciously. Her only response when a shy grin and another innocent shrug of her shoulders, making Cullen groan disbelievingly. Who taught her to cheat at chess? “You’re going to have to make this up to me, you know that right?”

Evie’s shy grin turned almost wicked then. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as her eyes darted down to his scarred lips then back up to his eyes quickly. “Of course.” She replied with a hint of excitement. “I did misbehave, after all.” Cullen’s breath hitched in his throat as Evie pressed herself tightly to his body and rested her lips against his ear. “I should be punished.”


	19. Who worries about what they will look like when they are older?

Cullen stood in front of the full length mirror in his and Evie’s bedroom. He stared at his reflection, scowling at the few grey hairs sprouting from his temples. Running his hand through his once perfectly golden curls, he groaned from his joints popping and muscles aching. When his hand reached the back of his neck he began massaging it, trying to relieve the stiffness that was always there. He had been in some sort of pain for decades now but as the years passed they seemed to worsen.

He turned his gaze to his bare chest and stomach, glowering at the layer of fat now hiding the definition of his muscles. Dropping his hand from his neck, he poked at the pudgy flesh covering his stomach. He used to have a perfectly taut stomach but now he had a gut that made him regret every cookie and cake he had ever eaten in his life.

_If I look like this now, how am I going to look in ten years?_

Cullen was so lost in thought, lamenting about the loss of his sculpted body and the addition of his grey hairs that he didn’t hear Evie enter their bedroom. He continued poking at his stomach, grumbling under his breath about refusing sweets, until a small arm wrapped around him from behind.

“Admiring the view?” Evie asked sweetly before placing a soft kiss on his shoulder blade.

Cullen snorted at her question, assuming she was being facetious. “Hardly.” He muttered as he laid his hand over hers, holding them both against his chest.

Evie shook her head against his back as she pressed her body tighter to his. “I was.” She admitted.

Cullen snorted again while shaking his own head. She must be having him on. There was no way she could still be admiring his body the way he looks now. He was half the man he used to be. Or more accurately, double the man.

As if reading his mind, Evie slipped her hand out from under Cullen’s and wrapped it around his stomach. She gave the chubby flesh covering his flank a light squeeze as she smiled against his back. “I love your body now.” She murmured between tender kisses to his scarred back. “It’s perfect.” Her hand slid lower on his side before she began tracing the hem of his trousers until she reached the front of them. “And all mine.”

As Evie started pulling at the laces on Cullen’s trousers, he returned his gaze to his reflection. He traced his eyes from his greying hair down over his not-so-sculpted body until they landed on Evie’s nimble fingers. Her words echoed in his mind as he watched her fight with his laces: _It’s perfect_. Well, if it’s perfect to her than what else mattered? Hers was the only opinion that mattered to Cullen.

Without warning, Cullen spun around to face Evie. In a flash he had her squirming form scooped up in his arms to be carried to their bed. If his body belonged to her than he thought it would be best to give it to her properly.


	20. What is Evie's favorite part of Cullen to kiss?

Evie stalked across the courtyard toward the sparring troops and Commander Cullen. She had important business with the commander and would not be interrupted for anything. When she made it her commander’s location she planted herself directly in front of him, a determined look in her eye.

“Inquisitor.” Cullen greeted respectfully as he gazed down at the red-headed mage. Evie tipped her head back and stared up at him, squinting her eyes the barest amount. “Did you, um did you need something, Inquisitor?” Cullen lifted his hand and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, feeling the weight of Evie’s scrutiny.

“I have a very important request, Commander.” Evie declared as she took a step closer to him. Their bodies were a hair’s breadth apart now. Evie lifted her hands and rested them against his abdomen, a bright grin spreading over her lips as Cullen stared down at her with a serious expression on his face. “I need a kiss.”

Cullen hung his head, a breathless laugh on his lips as he shook his head. “I’m a little busy, Evie.” He whispered while doing his best to ignore the way she was tantalizingly sliding her hands up his chest. “I’ll find you later.”

Without a word, Evie finished gliding her hands up Cullen’s cuirass. She took hold of the fur of his mantle and pulled it aside while lifting herself onto her tip toes. “But I’m here now.” She murmured into the skin just under his jaw.

Cullen watched his sparring troops carefully as Evie planted hot, open-mouthed kisses along the underside of his jaw. A hushed groan slipped from his lips unbidden as Evie nipped at his scruffy jawline between flicks of her tongue. She was trying to kill him. Why else would she be doing this to him in the middle of the busy courtyard? He kept a tight grip on the hilt of his sword, doing his best to ignore her tempting mouth on his tingling skin.

As Evie began slipping her hands back down his chest, Cullen wrapped his free hand around her waist. He wasn’t giving in, he just didn’t want her to lose her balance and fall. A soft moan sounded from Evie’s throat as his hand settled on her hip, giving it a light squeeze. He pulled her tighter to his body, his eyes slipping shut for just a moment as her hands finished their descent down his chest. Evie continued to lavish Cullen’s jaw with kisses while her fingers toyed with his belt buckle.

Just as suddenly as she began, Evie ended the attention her mouth was giving to Cullen’s jawline. He bit back a frustrated groan as she wiggled out of his grip and took a step back from him.

“You’re right.” She declared with a teasing grin. “You’re far to busy for a kiss. What _was_ I thinking?” Evie heaved a dramatic sigh before turning on her heels to leave.

As she stalked back across the yard, a bright smile lit Evie’s face. The feeling of Cullen’s stubble lingering on her lips put an extra sway in her hips as she walked. Cullen’s frustrated growl met her ears and her smile grew. She had no doubt it would only be a matter of minutes before he came after her.

Evie might be satisfied with a few seductive kisses to Cullen’s perfect jawline but she knew he wasn’t. He’d be after her for a proper kiss and far more before she could make it to the door leading to her quarters.


	21. Who hogs the blanket?

Cullen awoke to a chill creeping into his bones. His loft was always a little cold at night but that was what his thick wool blanket was for. He began groping around the bed blindly for his protection from the freezing night air but only found a warm body pressed to his. Cracking his eyes open, Cullen discovered Evie curled up next to him with his wool blanket wrapped tightly around her. Her face held a serene expression as she slept peacefully, no doubt because she was so warm.

Shivering against the cold air, Cullen took hold of the edge of the blanket and began trying to dislodge it from around Evie. As he tugged at the thick wool Evie grumbled in her sleep, pulling her covering tighter to her body. After countless failed attempts, Cullen released the blanket with a huff and watched as Evie settled back into her place in bed.

“Evie.” Cullen shook her shoulder gently as he whispered her name. He tried several times to rouse his sleeping lover, shaking her shoulder a little harder and hissing her name a little louder each time. The only response he received in return was a few sleepy mumbles as she pressed herself tighter into his chilled body, smiling softly in her deep slumber.

With a resigned sigh Cullen began looking around the dark room for a suitable replacement for his blanket. If Evie wasn’t going to share he was going to have to find something else before he froze to death. After a moment, his eyes landed on the armour rack in the corner of the room and his fur-lined surcoat. It would have to do.

Cullen slipped from the bed and padded across the room as quickly as possible. Once he had his surcoat in hand, he rushed back to the bed, hissing under his breath as he trotted across the freezing floor with bare feet. He snuggled as close to Evie as possible once he was back in bed with her, trying to steal some of the warmth his blanket was giving her. With his body wrapped around hers and his surcoat wrapped around as much of himself as possible, Cullen settled against the icy sheets to get some sleep.

As he drifted into an uncomfortably cold sleep, Cullen made a note to requisition himself a second blanket. He could only hope Evie wouldn’t snatch that one too.


	22. Magic or no magic in bed? To what extent and in what way?

The pleasure was mounting quickly in Cullen. A blazing inferno had settled at the base of his spine, threatening to explode any moment. He grit his teeth against the seemingly insurmountable urge to let go, instead concentrating on the cold fingertips digging into the muscles of his back. He refused to surrender to his end until the red-headed mage writhing beneath him had had her fill.

Focusing his hazy vision on Evie’s face, he groaned in relief to find her emerald eyes glassy and her full pout hanging open to let her wanton whines fall freely. Her thick thighs were starting to tighten around his hips and the heels of her feet were pressing into his well-toned arse.

“Are you–” Cullen didn’t even have to finish his question before Evie was nodding fervently.

“Cullen… I’m… I…”

Without any further ado, the velvet walls of Evie’s quivering cunt clamped down around Cullen’s cock, rocketing them both over the edge of pure bliss.

The scorching blaze Cullen had been resisting finally erupted. A white hot fire burned a raging path up his spine only to collide with a frigid wall that sent it shooting back down. The juxtaposition of the two sensations had him burying his face into the side of Evie’s sweat-slick neck to muffle his animalistic growls. He jerked his hips wildly in a desperate attempt to keep the heavenly pleasure from ever ending.

However, all good things must come to an end and soon the overwhelming pleasure gave way to buzzing aftershocks. A lazy grin lifted the right corner of Cullen’s lips as he peppered Evie’s neck with sloppy kisses. It wasn’t until he began to lower himself onto his forearms that he noticed something was amiss; Evie was laying unmoving beneath him.

Lifting his head, Cullen focused his amber gaze onto Evie’s face. She stared at the ceiling with widened, unmoving eyes, her mouth was pressed tight in a grim line, and her chin trembled in a way he saw very rarely. He carefully separated their bodies then and moved to settle beside her on the bed.

“Evie, did I… did I hurt you?” Cullen murmured, his voice thick with the fear and anguish that was rising within him. Lifting his hand from the mattress, he reached toward Evie’s face so he could cup her cheek. But before his fingertips had even brushed her skin she jerked back from him. “I-I’m so sorry, Evie. I didn’t–”

“I could have killed you…” Evie breathed as a tear ran down her temple and disappeared into her tousled scarlet waves. She rolled onto her side, turning her back to Cullen and wrapped her arms around herself. “I lost control…”

Cullen gaped at Evie, trying to understand what she was talking about. That was when he noticed the chill that continued to cling to his back and the realisation dawned on him. The icy sensation he had felt before had not come from the pleasure bursting from within him, but from the timid mage trembling beside him and the power that she held within her.

In a matter of seconds a multitude of thoughts raced through Cullen’s mind. The first being that she was right, she could have killed him. If another element such as fire or lightning had manifested rather than ice, she could have done serious harm to him. But she didn’t. He was fine. He was better than fine. He would probably never admit it aloud but he had enjoyed it; the icy coolness caressing his skin competing with the fiery heat just below the surface.

And the fact that he had brought Evie to such a spectacular climax that she lost her grip on her ever present magical discipline was a mark of pride for him. But looking at her now, seeing her shivering body and hearing her barely stifled sobs, Cullen could only focus on consoling her.

Ignoring Evie’s half-hearted protests, Cullen laid himself down behind her on the mattress. With a gentle but insistent grip on her hip, he managed to coax her into turning over to face him. In an instant, Evie had herself tucked into Cullen’s chest, her face pressed to the front of his neck and her trembling hands grasping at his shoulders. He enveloped her in his loving embrace as soon as she was against him, settling his large hands on her back to keep her close. He covered the top of her head with tender kisses whilst gently hushing her repeated apologies.

“I’m alright, love.” Cullen whispered into Evie’s scarlet hair, smoothing his heated hands down her frigid back. “We’re both alright.”


	23. Who reaches for the other’s hand first?

The office is completely silent save for the scratch of a quill across parchment. Cullen had long ago lost track of time, focused entirely on the work before him. The hours for meals have come and gone with nary a thought. The muscles in his neck and shoulders burn from his unmoving hunched posture. A cramp is forming in his writing hand. And above it all, his head throbs with every heart beat, blurring his vision and threatening to break his concentration. But he refuses to stop.

The aches, the pain, the hunger, the fatigue: none of it matters. If he lets any of it in further than he already has then he’ll slow or stop all together. His wants, his needs, do not matter. There is only the work. Without his work he is nothing. He cannot fail. He will not fail. Not again.

The mild rumbling in his stomach turns into a snarling beast, demanding to be sated. The spark of pain in his neck and shoulders ignites and a blazing inferno incinerates his muscles. His right hand seizes entirely. And the throbbing behind his eyes has nearly blinded him now. But still, Cullen refuses to pause.

Then a soft hand is laid over his and everything ceases to exist. The hunger, the pain, the ever present need to push himself until there is nothing left: it’s all gone. There is only the dainty hand plucking the quill from his larger one. The fire burning in his shoulders and neck is extinguished and his shoulders droop. She carefully slips her hand into his, his stiff muscles relaxing to permit the joining. Their fingers intertwine like the arms and legs of lovers lost in the bliss of each others bodies. They fit together as though they were molded to be united as one.

Evie tugs gently on his hand and Cullen is rising from his seat. He peers down at her once standing, gazing reverently into twin emerald pools. The pain that had been close to blinding him vanishes the moment his eyes meet hers.

“Is there something you need?” He murmurs.

Smiling adoringly up at him, Evie gives his hand another light tug. “You need a break. Come on.”


	24. one headcanon about this OTP that breaks your heart

The cold, desolate room echoed with the sound of Evie’s ragged breathing. She had been kneeling on the hard flagstone for hours now. Her knees were bruised and bloodied from being forced to maintain the same position for so long. She had long ago stopped screaming for help, for her freedom. Even her tears had ended. There was no point. This prison was of her own making. There was no escaping it now.

Foot steps behind her caused her muscles to tense. She did not bother to turn her head. She already knew who it would be walking toward her. It was always him. No matter how hard she tried to replace his presence, he remained. She could never be sure if the fact that it was him was her making or theirs. She didn’t want to know.

She saw his boots first, exactly as she remembered them. He stopped once he was standing directly in front of her and turned to face her. She didn’t dare look up. She couldn’t look into his face, his eyes. No, not his. It’s not him. Not really. Just a trick. A cruel, twisted illusion. She reminds herself over and over. It, not him.

That didn’t stop her from begging _him_ when it started to lift the brand clutched in its hand.

“Please, Cullen! Please, don’t do this. It’s me. It’s Evie. Your love. Your flower. This can’t be what you want. Please! I can’t! Don’t do this to me! I’m begging you!”

He – it – laughed as the brand is pressed to her forehead. She screamed his name until every feeling behind the word, all her words, was gone.

* * *

Evie drifted back from the Fade slowly. The dream was so commonplace now that her own mind could not even be bothered to be startled by it. And yet she couldn’t stop the trembling in her body or her hand from lifting to touch her forehead, just to make sure.

Rolling onto her back, Evie pried her eyes open. She rested her hand over her forehead, fingertips idly tracing the space between her eyebrows, and turned her gaze to the ceiling above the bed. The stars shined down through the hole in the roof, giving the dark room an ethereal glow. A beautiful, clear night to be soured by vile, clouded thoughts.

When the other occupant of the bed shifted, Evie recoiled. The guilt that followed was nearly unbearable. It hadn’t been him. It was deception of the Fade. Her fears made real then twisted further. It wasn’t him. He would never do such a thing. He’d die first.

Evie sat up slowly, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. Her trembling was finally starting to abate but the thought of sleeping, of dreaming, was terrifying. She couldn’t face that cruelty again. Not in the same night.

A warm hand brushed her back and her muscles tensed. “Evie, love, why are you up? Is everything alright?” Cullen’s voice was thick with sleep but even still she could hear the concern behind it.

For just a fleeting moment Evie thought about telling him. Confessing that her nights were filled with horrors that she could not escape. That some nights those horrors took his form and taunted her with the things she fears most. She selfishly wanted him to hold her, kiss her, chase away all her nightmares and replace them with his love. But when she turned to meet his eyes she couldn’t. His own nights were already filled with such agony. She couldn’t add to his pain, add to his nightmares. She would be strong for once in her life. For him.

Forcing a smile onto her face, Evie nodded. “Everything is fine, love.” She despised lying to Cullen but the truth would be far more wicked than the pain the truth would cause him.

She laid back down beside him, allowing Cullen to pull her into his gentle, loving embrace. Tucking her head under his chin, she forced herself to relax as best she could.

“What were you doing up?” Cullen murmured between sleepy kisses to the top of her head.

“I had a strange dream…” She confessed wistfully. When she felt Cullen suck in a breath to speak, she quickly continued with the same carefree flippancy he knew her to regard most things with. “About nugs. They were up to something quite sinister.”

Soft laughter shook Cullen’s frame for a moment and the sound sent Evie’s heart soaring. It was the only sound that should ever fall from his lips. A song to rival the Chant itself in its otherworldly beauty.

Her own smile turned to a genuine one as he pressed one last kiss to her crown. “Go back to sleep, love. I promise I’ll protect you from the evil nugs.”

While Cullen drifted back to sleep, Evie focused on his words, latching onto them and refusing to let go. _I promise I’ll protect you._ They may have been spoken in jest but she knew they were true. He would protect her from anything and everything. The least she could do is protect him from her own foolish nightmares.


	25. What did Evie first think of Cullen when they met?

The rift was closed, the demons had stopped, and most of the soldiers were making their way to safety: everything was calm for the moment. However, Evie’s heart had only picked up in speed.

She stood nervously behind Cassandra, watching her former jailer approach one of the soldiers they had just saved. He sauntered toward the group casually, as if they had not been fighting for their lives only moments before.

“Lady Cassandra, you managed to close the rift? Well done.”

His voice had Evie’s eyes dropping to her scuffed boots. A blush rose to her cheeks and the trembling in her hands moved to the rest of her body. His voice was deep and rich, the baritone echoing through her eardrums to settle heavily in the middle of her chest.

“Do not congratulate me, commander. This is the prisoner’s doing.”

Evie peeked up to find his eyes trained on her now. Her heart leapt into her throat immediately and her breathing became more laboured than it had been during the skirmish. She took small, nervous steps in his direction, the warmth of his amber eyes pulling her to him like a moth to a flame.

“Is it? I hope they’re right about you. We’ve lost a lot of people getting you here.”

Evie stared up at the commander through her lashes. Wringing her hands nervously, she fought to collect her jumbled thoughts and formulate a response.

_Oh my. He’s very handsome. Look at those eyes. That jawline. His lips. I wonder how he received that scar. Doing something very brave, no doubt._

_He seems to be quite fearless. He didn’t run from those demons. Maker, he never even flinch once. He just kept fighting. And swinging his sword._

_He must be very strong to fight with a sword and shield. He certainly looks strong. Even under all that armour. His arms are very large. And his legs. I wonder how easily he could lift me…_

_Oh! Oh Maker! No! Stop that. Focus, Evie. There are lives depending on you. This is no time to be thinking such things. Especially not about him. You just met him. You don’t even know his name! Andraste preserve me._

_He’s speaking to you. Remember? Answer him. Tell him how you will stop at nothing to ensure everyone’s safety. That you continue fighting until the Breach is closed. That you won’t run or hide. (Even though I desperately want to.) Maker have mercy, just say something before he starts to think you’re dim._

“I’ll-I’ll try my best.” Evie finally managed to eek out after what seemed like an eternity lost in her thoughts.

Dropping her emerald eyes to her boots once more, Evie reminded herself over and over how many lives were counting on her. Telling herself continually that she needed to remain focused on the task at hand. That if she wanted to save everyone and make it out alive she couldn’t let herself become distracted. A gorgeous warrior should not be her priority at the moment.

“That’s all we can ask.” He declared gently.

_He’s patient and understanding too? He can’t be real. Men like him only exist in stories and dreams. Even if he is as he seems, I will probably never see him again. It would be best to put him out of my mind._

Evie chanced another glance at him, watching bashfully as he and Cassandra spoke. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she listened to the warriors converse about the situation. She traced his features repeatedly, committing his face to memory in case this would be the only time their paths would cross. It would be a shame to forget a face such as his.

When he finally turned to leave, Evie tracked his departure. Sighing quietly, she watched him stop to aid one of the other soldiers in getting to safety.

_And he’s selfless? He truly is perfection._

_I do hope we meet again, commander._


	26. What do they do when they’re away from each other?

Cullen paced the full length of his office floor, heavy leather boots scraping along the flagstone to fill the quiet room with the melody of their joining. There was a pile of reports on his desk that he should be tending to, but the only thing keeping his racing thoughts at bay was the movement of his feet.

He knew he shouldn’t be concerned. Evie had only been away a month; she had been away longer than that before and come back unharmed. Or at least, relatively so. She was strong and skilled, more so than she ever seemed to give herself credit for. She could take care of herself. Not to mention their friends accompanying her into every fight she would have to face. As well as the numerous Inquisition agents and soldiers that were now scattered across all of southern Thedas. She was well protected.

Yet, he couldn’t stop his worrying now.

Evie always wrote him. Rarely was it anything more than a scrawled message on the back of a field report; sometimes, if she had an extra moment there would be a doodle of a heart or flower to accompany it. It wasn’t much, but it always put Cullen’s mind at ease. Just enough to let him know that she was well and her spirits remained high.

Report after report had arrived in the last few weeks but not a single one held a scribbled message from Cullen’s love. Sure, the reports conveyed that Evie was not injured nor was she ill, that she was well as far as the scouts were concerned. But he knew that Evie was a master of disguising her melancholy. A smile, whether it was given sincerely or as a mask was as easy for her as breathing was for most.

A knock on his main office door halted Cullen in his tracks and pulled him from his silent reverie. “What!?” He bellowed, glowering at the wooden portal.

“I have a report for you, ser.” A voice called from the other side, deepening the scowl etched across Cullen’s features. “Sister Leliana said it was urgent.”

Fear gripped Cullen’s heart in an instant. Stalking over to the door, he threw it open and snatched the parchment from the messenger’s hand before slamming the door in their face without a word. Taking a deep breath to steel himself against whatever news the report would bring, he lifted it in a trembling hand and began to read.

As the words flew by his anxiety turned to confusion. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the report whatsoever. Troop movements, requisition requests, estimations of enemy numbers and encampment locations. The report ended as it always did: with information on Evie and her team. The same benign notes as always. As far as Cullen could tell there wasn’t a single piece of critical information to be seen.

That is, until he turned it over.

In the bottom corner of the plain beige parchment, written in lively swirls of black ink was a short message.

> _We set up camp near a patch of embrium. There were so many I could barely see the green grass through all the bright colours. They were so beautiful, Cullen. I wish you could have been here to see them too._

Below the note meant just for him, Cullen found a sloppily drawn flower – what he assumed was supposed to be an embrium – with a lopsided heart at its center.

All the anxiety that had been weighing him down lifted from his shoulders and suddenly he could breath again. Evie was safe. And not just that, she was still filled with the same joy with which she seemed to approach every situation. That seemingly endless optimism was a rare and precious thing to find in a world filled with such agony. To see it snuffed out by the cruelty she was forced to witness and endure would break Cullen’s heart as surely as if it were Evie’s life that was lost.

With a serene grin lifting the corners of his lips, Cullen read and reread the exuberant words. A scene flashed in his mind of Evie snatching the report from a scout to write her note to him before sheepishly returning it with a demure smile and apology. His eyes slipped shut and his smile grew wider as he watched her walk through the patch of vibrant blooms, her fingertips delicately caressing the supple petals as she passed.

Allowing a contented sigh to pass through his lips, Cullen carefully folded the parchment and placed it in the left breast pocket of his surcoat. Laying his hand over the note and his heart, another sigh – this one wistful in nature – slipped from between his parted lips.

“I wish I had been there too, love.”


	27. How does Evie feel about blood magic?

Growing up in the Circle, Evie was taught what blood mages are. The vile maleficarum that consorted with demons and bled the innocent dry to fuel their monstrous and selfish acts. The idea of blood magic – making deals with demons, harming the innocent, betraying the Maker – had always been unfathomable to her. But now it was downright abhorrent.

Cullen had always been willing to talk about certain aspects of his past: his childhood, his Templar training. There had been days where he had spoken of fonder memories from Kinloch Hold and even the Gallows, as well. But there was one part of his past that he rarely spoke of and when he did, it was in very broad strokes. So one afternoon as they sat side by side at his desk and, seemingly out of no where, he began telling her about his experience during the Fifth Blight, Evie had pushed aside her paperwork to give him her undivided attention.

Cullen’s voice had been strong and steady as he started to tell her about the monotonous hours leading up to Uldrid’s rise to power. He began to half-whisper as he recalled the mages turning on him and the other Templars. When he spoke of the mages opening their veins to fell his brothers and sisters, Evie had to strain just to hear the sorrowful words slipping from his mumbling lips. Then his voice turned venomous as he spoke of being dragged into the stairwell below the Harrowing chamber. But when he recalled watching one of his brothers being bled dry to erect a cage of magic around him, his cadence fell into a melancholy like she had never heard before.

Evie clutched his hands in hers as Cullen told his story, hoping to keep him anchored in the present so that he didn’t drown in his past. He kept his eyes locked on their intertwined fingers while hers stayed fixed on his down-turned face. She wanted to ask him to look at her, wanted to be able to read his eyes, know if he needed to stop. She kept silent though, trusting him to know his limit. She wasn’t going to take the control from him. Not in this. He didn’t need her or anyone else to tell him how to heal the wounds of his past.

So Evie listened. She learned the details of the torment he had endured, watched him relive every torturous moment. Fear, sadness, and even anger filled her as she heard Cullen’s voice crack to fight back his tears. She watched his shoulders shake under the weight of his burdensome past, felt his fingers tighten around hers every time he mentioned the loneliness of his blood-fuelled prison, and constrict further when he recalled the more trying moments when he was visited by his vile captors.

While Cullen spoke and Evie listened, she made a silent vow to herself. Seeing the agony that he had endured, was still suffering, gave rise to a fervor like nothing before it. To sin against the Maker was unspeakable enough, but to harm a good man who devoted his life to the protection of others above all else – a man she loved, who completed her heart and soul so thoroughly – was not something Evie could stand for. The promise she made was one that she would keep even if it meant her life would have to end to do so.

As Cullen’s harrowing tale came to an end he lifted his tear-brimmed eyes to meet Evie’s. She did her best to hide her own feelings – this was not about her – and kept her gaze locked on his. She couldn’t allow him to think there was shame in what he had survived. However, there must have been something in Evie’s eyes that she could not mask. Cullen’s expression hardened into fierce protectiveness instantly. He freed one of his hands from Evie’s grip and cradled her round cheek in his palm.

“I would never let that happen to you, Evie. Never.” He vowed emphatically.

The ghost of a smile pulled at Evie’s lips as he peered into Cullen’s determined amber eyes. He never put himself before anyone, especially her. Not even when he was the one who needed to be first. Lifting her own hand to rest over his on her cheek while the other moved to his stubbled jaw, she shook her head shallowly.

Coaxing Cullen forward, Evie pressed their foreheads together while holding his bewildered gaze. Guiding his hand from her cheek to her lips, she laid a gentle kiss to his palm before giving voice to her ardent vow. “No blood mage will ever lay their hands on you again, Cullen. Not so long as there is air in my lungs and a beat in my heart. I swear to the Maker.” Pulling Cullen the rest of the way into her arms, Evie held him in a tight embrace and covered his temple with a loving kiss. “And I swear to you.”


	28. Who kisses the hardest?

A worried frown twisted Evie’s delicate features as she passed by Josephine’s empty desk on her way to the war room. She was late. It seemed like she was always late. There had been a time, when she was first appointed Inquisitor, that she didn’t worry about getting to her war council meetings on time but with the end of the war nearing, she knew every moment was that much more precious.

Changing her casual stroll to a light trot, Evie scurried through the doorway that led to the dilapidated hallway outside of the war room. She was just making a mental note about how she should speak to the architects about the giant holes in her fortress when suddenly a pair of strong hands grabbed her hips from behind. In a flash, her back collided with the stone wall, her wrists were pinned above her head, and two very insistent lips were slammed into hers.

In less time than a single beat of her racing heart, Evie had forgotten where she was or why she was there. There was nothing but the tickle of luxurious fur against her burning cheeks, the heat rolling off of the hard body that enveloped her, the seductive roll of trim hips that kept her pinned to the wall, and those lips. They could be so gentle and loving, planting tender kisses to her brow in quiet moments. Or they could be as they are now. Rough and demanding, robbing her of her faculties as well as her breath.

Those superbly scarred lips were too much and not enough all at once.

All too soon, Cullen freed Evie from his rough kiss, extracting a strangled and wanton whine from deep in her throat. A husky chuckle rumbled in his chest, making her head spin. He leaned back in, sealing his lips over hers once more. However, when Evie tried to deepen their kiss he pulled away again. Taking her ruddy bottom lip between his teeth he tugged at the soft flesh for just a moment before releasing it with a lewd pop.

“You’re late.” Cullen murmured against her jaw between soft bites and rough kisses.

Evie nodded furiously in response, having not understood Cullen in the least but knowing without a doubt she would agree with anything he said.

Laughing quietly, Cullen pulled Evie into another hard kiss. He slipped one of his thighs between her knees, lifting it until the toned muscle connected with her aching core. Releasing his grip on her wrists, Cullen took hold of her round hips and began guiding her as she rocked and grinded against him. As soon as he had freed her hands, Evie threw her arms around his neck, burying her fingers into his hair and finally deepening their kiss. A desperate moan echoed in her throat as she slipped her tongue into Cullen’s mouth. She basked in the taste, the feel, the scent of him enveloping her completely. She was lost in him and cared not to be found ever again.

Her whole body hummed with the white-hot electric need for release. The muscles in her stomach coiled and her thighs tensed. She used all she strength to roll her sex over Cullen’s massive thigh again and again, a constant moan reverberating from her throat and heaving chest. Swirling her hips, a sudden sharp gasp burst from between their joined lips as her sensitive clit was trapped between her pubic bone and Cullen’s leg. She redoubled her efforts then, rutting shamelessly against him as she chased the sweet bliss that was just moments away.

Bliss that Cullen seemed to have no intention on letting her reach.

When Cullen began to pull away from their kiss once more, Evie fought him. She tightened her hold and pressed her quivering body harder to his. But in the end, his strength won over her fervent need. He untangled her fingers from his hair, gently pinning her hands to the wall, framing her face. But that didn’t stop Evie from continuing to shamelessly roll her hips along his thigh, seeking relief for the throbbing heat that he had awakened in her core.

Leaning forward, Cullen pressed his mouth against Evie’s ear, breathing hotly into it. “You want more, don’t you?”

She nodded without a seconds hesitation, whining helplessly.

“Say it.”

“I want more, Cullen. Please… please… I need–” Cullen bounced his leg lightly, bumping Evie’s swollen clit and ripping a lustful gasp from her throat.

“Then next time, don’t be late.” He warned in a dark, gruff voice before pulling away entirely.

Evie watched wide-eyed and shivering as Cullen righted his attire before casually strolling down the hall and disappearing into the war room. She stood alone for countless minutes, her mind buzzing, her entirely body trembling, her core aching. And her lips bruised a deep crimson that would take days to fade.


	29. Who rocks the Ferris Wheel seat and who flips out and begs them to stop?

Cullen clutched the worn safety bar that was locked into place across his lap in a white knuckle grip. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth so tight that he thought he might chip one of them. At first he had kept his eyes on the ground below. However, that proved to be a foolish plan. The further he ascended the worse his condition became. Now his gaze was fixed on the horizon and he vowed to keep it there until he was returned to solid ground.

Meanwhile, seated beside him in the most elated state he had ever seen her or anyone was Evie. She twisted and turned on their shared metal bench, pointing at some of the attractions in the distance while remaining completely unaware of Cullen’s petrified status. Her enthusiasm only grew as they neared the top of the ferris wheel’s rotation. She squealed with laughter, rattling the entire bench.

Try as he might, Cullen couldn’t ignore the groaning of the rusted and aging metal upon which they sat. Heights had never been a problem for him; the ferris wheel had been a favourite of his as a child. But this one…

Glancing to his side, his stomach dropped out from under him as he gazed upon the rusted bolts holding his side of the rickety bench to the wheel. There were places along the beam that had become rusted completely, creating a jagged window that Cullen could fit his entire fist through if he wished. But nothing compared to the terror that gripped his entire being when he peered over Evie’s head to see the three missing bolts on her side.

Then Evie began to rock them.

With near childlike enthusiasm, she took hold of their dubiously named safety bar and threw her entire upper body forward before leaning back suddenly. Slowly, the basket began to sway with her fervent rocking. The deathtrap they were imprisoned on groaned and creaked with every movement.

Cullen squeezed his eyes shut, sending a silent prayer to the Maker that they live to feel the ground below their shoes once more.

“Come on, Cullen! Help me!” Evie exclaimed. She called out for Cullen’s aid several more times, giggling and squealing in unfettered joy.

It seemed like ages before Cullen found his voice again. “Evie…” He croaked. When she didn’t acknowledge him, he slid his hand along the bar to cover her smaller hand with his palm. He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed.

“Evie, please.” He rasped.

All at once, Evie halted her determined rocking. The seat continued to roll with the momentum she had built but the diminutive red-head seemed to be oblivious to the continued rocking as she turned to face Cullen, concern replacing her carefree joy.

“Cullen! What’s wrong? Are you sick? Hurt?” She asked in rapid succession before suddenly gasping. “Oh Maker! You’re afraid of heights!” Freeing her hand from Cullen’s vice like grip, she threw her arms around his neck and showered his cheek and temple with kisses. “I’m sorry! I had no idea! I’m so sorry!”

For the first time since setting foot on the ferris wheel, Cullen chuckled softly. Lifting his hand from the safety bar, he wrapped his fingers around Evie’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze. He turned his head and captured Evie’s apologetic pout in tender kiss. Breathing a relaxed sigh, he rested his forehead against hers, grinning from ear to ear.

“It’s not-” Cullen began to explain but paused. There was no reason to make her worry. Rationally, he knew the chances of anything going awry were very small. But the incessant rocking wasn’t going to improve those chances. He could explain everything once they were safely off the ride.

“I’ll be fine, love.” He assured her calmly. Cracking open his tightly shut eyelids, he peered lovingly into her sparkling emerald eyes. “Just do me one favour?”

“Anything.”

“No more rocking the seat. Please.”


	30. Who cuts the others hair?

“Sit still.” Cullen chided the fidgeting mage.

“Have you done this before?” Evie asked while combing her fingers through her scarlet fringe.

With a casual shrug, Cullen combed a section of Evie’s hair with one hand and pointed the tip of his scissors to his head. “Who do you think cuts my hair?”

Peeking at Cullen’s perfect curls, Evie took a deep breath. She folded her hands in her lap and relaxed her tensed shoulders for a moment. But when Cullen began to bring the scissors toward her head once more, she flinched. “Are you sure you can do this? Your hair is one of my favourite things in this world but it’s yours and my hair is well, mine. And-” She rambled on while eyeing the reflection of the scissors, disquiet easy to see in her features.

Cullen cocked his brow. “You don’t trust me?” The grin he was wearing would make it quite clear to anyone else that the question was asked in jest. But Evie…

“No!” She exclaimed, spinning around on the old wooden stool to face Cullen. “I trust you completely.” She added earnestly before lowering her gaze. “I just…”

As Evie trailed off, Cullen dropped to his knees. He placed the scissors and comb on the floor beside them and took Evie’s hands in his, lacing their fingers together. He caressed the backs of her hands with his thumbs as he ducked his head to catch her emerald gaze with his amber one. “You just…?”

A deep crimson blossomed over Evie’s cheeks and freckled nose. “I really like my hair…” She mumbled, clearly embarrassed by her own admission.

With a kind chuckle, Cullen released Evie’s hands to cup her round cheeks, preventing her from looking away. Leaning in, he placed a tender kiss onto the tip of her nose, bringing a giggle to her scarred lips.

“I’ll make you deal,” Cullen began, retrieving his scissors and comb from their resting place and leaning back. He turned the scissors and comb over and over in his hands before letting a playful laugh spill from his lips. “If I am not up to the task then you can repay me with a haircut of my own.”

Evie’s widened eyes darted between the implements in Cullen’s hands and his face several times, then up to his perfectly coiffed hair. A impish grin slowly formed on her full lips. Quick as a whip, she planted a kiss on Cullen’s lips and spun back around on her stool.

With her back to him once more, she sat straight-backed and completely still, grinning from ear to ear. “Whenever you’re ready, love.”

Shaking his head, Cullen got to his feet. Lifting the scissors, he combed a section of Evie’s hair straight and flashed her a confident smile in the mirror before making his first cut.

Needless to say, only Evie got her hair cut that day. But it was the best haircut she had ever received, there was no denying that.


	31. Which one loves to go out to eat?

“Your brother has invited us to dinner.” Cullen announced as he walked into the living room, phone in hand.

Evie craned her neck to glance over the top of the book she was reading while lounging on the couch. She raised her eyebrows, signally that she was listening without a word. They both enjoyed Max’s company, especially when his wife, Sophia was with him to keep his rambunctious tendencies in check. They almost always agreed to dinner with the other couple. That is, unless…

“It’s at some restaurant with a name I can’t pronounce. I think it’s Tevene.” Cullen added solemnly, taking a seat at the end of the sofa while still looking down at his phone.

A frown flashed across Evie’s face for a brief moment before she forced herself to smile. “It could be fun.”

Cullen chuckled, shaking his head while tapping over the screen of his phone. “You’re a terrible actress, love.” Once he was finished typing his message, Cullen placed his phone on the coffee table then gathered Evie’s dainty feet into his lap. 

Grinning, Cullen looked to Evie who was still staring at him. “I told him we were going to spend the night in.”

Returning his smile, Evie laid her book face down on her chest. “You’re a saint.” She beamed.

As Cullen began to lean over her prone form for a kiss, his phone buzzed. With an emphatic sigh, he turned away to retrieve his phone. The message on the screen brought another chuckle to his lips.

“He said we’re boring.” Cullen laughed, turning off the screen and placing his phone back on the table. Taking Evie’s book from its resting place on her chest, Cullen replaced the hardcover novel with his head, snuggling into the soft fullness of her breasts. “He also said we’re predictable.” He added with a breathy laugh.

Combing her fingers through Cullen’s curls, Evie giggled softly. “Well, he’s not wrong.”


	32. Who dies first?

Mornings were his favourite time of day.

Each new dawn brought with it a new day filled with endless possibilities. She had taught him that. Though, he was quite certain she had never witnessed a sunrise once in her life, as stubborn as she was about rising in morning. Even now, after all the years they’ve spent together it was still a struggle to convince her to wake for the day. But even as she grumbled and groaned, he relished every moment because they are together. He couldn’t imagine a day without her light to guide him.

A bright grin caught the edge of lips when he finally opened his eyes and sat up in bed. He turned his attention to the side of the bed where his wife slept. His smile grew wider as he gazed upon her. Time had done nothing to diminish her beauty in his eyes. When he looked upon her he did not see the wrinkles or white hair that had supposedly stolen away her youthful good looks. She was still the same breath-taking woman he had met all those years ago.

“Wake up, my love.” He called to her whilst stretching his back. He told himself the ache was from years of hard training and harder battles but he knew the truth. These were the aches of an old man who spent far too many years bent over a desk. Dismissing thoughts of his aches and pains, he tried once more to rouse his wife from her deep slumber. “It’s a new day, my love. Time to get up.” She didn’t move a muscle.

Shaking his head, Cullen knew more aggressive tactics were required. Gingerly, he lowered himself onto his side and pressed himself lengthwise against his wife. Resting his head in his hand, he used his other hand to brush an arrant white curl from her forehead before leaning down to place a kiss upon her brow.

“You cannot sleep the day away, my love.” He laughed. He traced his fingertips along the side of her face, tickling one cheek with the digits and placing a kiss on the other.

He had lost count of how many mornings he had had to privilege of being the man who woke her from her slumber. The amount of times he had done this didn’t matter to him so long as he was the one who coaxed her from her dreams and back into his arms.

His fingers continued their journey along her weathered skin until his hand came to rest on the side of her elegant neck. He remained completely still, his gaze never leaving her peaceful beauty. He recalled believing in his youth that there would never be a day that would start without her smile.

He had been a foolish young man, indeed.

Laying his head upon her cold and motionless chest, Cullen closed his eyes and held his wife in his arms for the last time. “Rest now, my love. You have earned your peace.” He whispered, tears spilling out from under his eyelids. “I love you. Now and forever.”

Mornings were his favourite time of day. Until the morning she was called home to rest at the Maker’s side.


	33. When did Evie know her feelings for Cullen weren't one sided?

* * *

The year is 9:50 Dragon. Cullen and Evie have been married for nearly eight years. They've retired to South Reach, living on a small plot of land not far from the Rutherford family farm. Their little cottage is alive with the joyous sounds of their three beautiful children playing together.

Cullen stands at the kitchen counter, chopping vegetables from Evie’s garden for their dinner. He feels more content than he ever has in all his years. A slow smile graces his lips. He can feel himself being watched very closely. Without turning his head, he directs his gaze to his wife. Evie is seated at the dining table. She’s studying him closely, emerald eyes filled with suspicion, confusion, and doubt.

Even after all these years…

He puts down the knife and gives her his full attention. “I love you. You know that, right?”

She looks shocked and a little embarrassed for being caught staring. After a moment, she forces a smile and nods. “Of course, Cullen. I love you, too.”

Evie stands then and crosses over to him. A soft hand rests on his chest as a pair of full lips settle over his. She sighs happily into the kiss but when she pulls away he can still see it in her eyes. He leans down and steals one more quick kiss before she scurries out of the room.

Returning to his task, Cullen can’t help the amused smile that sticks to his lips. She’ll believe him one day. It doesn't matter if it takes him a lifetime to convince her. He loves her more than anything and anyone. And loving her is worth everything.


End file.
